Sunday, 20 October 2013

After four
weeks of study we have finally finished logging and sampling the new core! It
was challenging to complete it all on time, but we did it! What an opportunity
to spend 4 weeks studying this core, with such fantastic quality of rock from
the Early Carboniferous. If I asked myself what I would love to be doing for a
job 10 years ago, this would be it!

Core-tastic
statistics: In the month we logged 502 metres of core, which was recorded on
143 sheets of A4 graph paper, using up two pens and 4 pencils! We also took
hundreds of detailed photographs of features like palaeosols, fossil beds and
sedimentary structures. Emma and Andrea have taken around 700 combined samples
that will be analysed for palynology, isotopes and sedimentology, with a sample
taken at least every metre.

The core
reveals that palaeosols are present throughout the sequence, and so are
cementstones, of various types. The sand bodies were smaller than those we
recorded from fieldwork, but you would expect variation in these across the
basin. We have seen many fossils and fossil-rich beds that we will go back to
study in-depth in the future – there are many types of fossils including bones!

Thank you to
the staff at the BGS Core Store for their efficient work in changing core
boxes, answering our queries and generally putting up with our residence for a
month! If you are interested in studying a borehole then you can find out about
the collection online at the BGS onshoreborehole material database.

Where did the core come from? Check out our slideshow of when we drilled the core on the TW:eed Project Website.